Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,597

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merrillville, IN and in Rio de Janeiro

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Merrillville, IN and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,597 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Merrillville, IN $2,597
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,672 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Merrillville, IN $3,672
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,748 in Merrillville, IN versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Merrillville, IN $4,748
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Merrillville, IN is roughly 104% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Merrillville, IN is 92% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.93 $14.93

$9.38 R$47.54

59.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 $55.9

$40.00 R$203

39.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$8.34 R$42.28

18.47%

Cappuccino

$4.63 $4.63

$2.29 R$11.62

102.18%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.59 R$8.05

37.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.01 R$5.10

121.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.14 R$10.85

112.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.66 R$18.55

61.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.13 R$5.72

-34.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.09 R$10.60

52.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.25 R$6.36

263.20%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$2.25 R$11.39

105.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$10.92 R$55.3

1.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 $9.61

$4.36 R$22.10

120.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.94 $21.94

$9.60 R$48.66

128.54%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.85 R$14.46

101.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.81 R$9.16

-38.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.58 R$8.02

177.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$1.83 R$9.28

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.20 R$6.10

206.67%

Onion (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.06 R$5.35

315.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.75 R$3.81

226.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.68 R$3.45

86.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.36 $11.36

$2.94 R$14.90

286.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$7.98 R$40.43

53.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.18 R$5.98

76.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.42 R$12.26

41.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.94 R$4.78

114.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.20 R$6.10

312.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$0.83 R$4.20

125.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.3 $50.3

$8.97 R$45.48

460.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.29 R$6.53

-27.91%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.9K $27.9K

$22.8K R$115.5K

22.36%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.0K $27.0K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-20.41%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$233 $233

$134 R$681

73.10%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$50.9 $50.9

$10.73 R$54.4

374.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 $59.0

$22.84 R$116

158.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.50 $47.50

$30.16 R$153

57.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$7.73 R$39.17

93.79%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,397 $1,397

$584 R$2,960

139.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$12.8K R$64.9K

59.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$41.12 R$208

29.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 $40.39

$49.26 R$250

-18.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$73.7 R$373

44.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 $95.7

$65.9 R$334

45.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 $1,510

$900 R$4,561

67.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 $1,374

$527 R$2,673

160.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,410 $2,410

$1,332 R$6,754

80.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 $2,148

$748 R$3,790

187.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,523 $2,523

$3,990 R$20.2K

-36.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$1,560 R$7,908

40.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

11.93

-45.26%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Merrillville, IN: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Merrillville, IN

$1.4K 52.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 61.6% $847

Groceries & Markets

Merrillville, IN

$390 15%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 45.2% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrillville, IN

$342 13.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 51% $175

Eating Out

Merrillville, IN

$257 9.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 39.3% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Merrillville, IN

$133 5.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 22.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Merrillville, IN

$77 3%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 41.1% $32

Getting Around

Merrillville, IN

$22 * 0.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 165% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,510 in Merrillville, IN and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Merrillville, IN vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

2 h ahead of Merrillville, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,444

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Merrillville, IN Rio de Janeiro 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrillville, IN
Rio de Janeiro

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Merrillville, IN vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merrillville, IN and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 104% in total monthly costs ($2,597 vs $1,273 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,895 in Merrillville, IN and $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,510 in Merrillville, IN versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Merrillville, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,597 per month in Merrillville, IN versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 104% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Merrillville, IN. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 104% less than in Merrillville, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.